Philippines-based food and beverage major Monde Nissin has been given the all-clear to build an automated biscuit production facility in its domestic market.

Monde Nissin, which owns brands including Lucky Me noodles and SkyFlakes crackers, as well as the UK-based meat-free business Quorn, is to spend 1.2bn pesos ($21.3m) on the project.

The company confirmed to Just Food that it received approval for its plan from the country’s Board of Investments (BOI) on 25 July. The facility in Davao City will produce the manufacturer’s Blue Coconut Biscuits.

Monde Nissin revealed the project, despite being for an automated facility, will generate 111 full-time jobs.

It said: “Except for the manual preparation of raw materials, the whole butter coconut biscuits production and packaging of finished goods is fully mechanised, using up-to-date and market-appropriate technologies.

“Previously, packaging [at its existing plant in Laguna] was done manually. For this project, the firm will employ advanced automation technology for the packaging and movement of finished goods which will require highly skilled workers whom are hired locally.”

Monde Nissin said the biscuits produced at the facility will be for the domestic market initially but with “potential to expand in Indonesia and other neighbouring south-east Asian countries”.

The project is said to support the country’s push to see an increasing amount of digitisation in the manufacturing sector.

Last month, Monde Nissin, which also owns the UK plant-based food business Cauldron, said it continued to witness “softness” in meat-alternatives, although its second-quarter sales decline was less pronounced.

It was a mixed bag of results in the three months to 30 June for the company, which reported a rebound in gross profits and margins but a widening in EBITDA and net losses.

However, the company’s core Asia Pacific Branded Food and Beverage business posted a 5.7% increase in comparable sales to 16.46bn pesos.